It has become almost commonplace for surgeons to perform operations on very delicate organs of the body such as the eye or ear, this surgery frequently being performed under a microscope, and certainly dealing with microscopic dimensions. The area of surgery has become known as microsurgery, and there is a variety of instruments for use in performing microsurgery. One instrument is a type of extremely sharp cutting implement that utilizes a disposable razor chip. The extreme sharpness of the blades makes them highly desirable in microsurgery, but also renders them very hazardous in passing the knives back and forth between the surgeon and the operating assistant. This is especially true in modern ophthalmic surgery in which the operating room is frequently darkened. Sometimes there is simply a low level of lighting, and at other times all lights are extinguished except for illumination provided by the operating microscope of the surgeon. It will be appreciated that the extremely sharp knives can very easily cut a glove, and the skin beneath the glove; and, if the knife has already been used on a patient, there is an obvious danger of infection. Another difficulty with the extremely sharp razor knives is that the blades are very easy to ruin so that if the sharp edge of the knife contacts another instrument, an instrument tray, or other reasonably hard substance, the knife blade can be completely ruined. It must be kept in mind that the surgery involved is operating in the range of tenths of a millimeter, with suture material measured in microns. Thus, a usually unnoticeable burr on the knife blade would render the knife damaged beyond use in this environment.
Since the advent of the disposable, extremely sharp knives, various packaging means have been devised in order to allow the knives to be shipped and stored without damage to the blade. Obviously, the packaging must be sturdy, and is frequently quite involved to be sure that nothing touches the sharp edge of the blade. As a result, while the knife may be successfully shipped to the point of use, and stored until the time of use, the blade may be damaged during its removal from the packaging. Also, once the blade is removed from the packaging, there is no longer any protection for the blade and the blade may be easily damaged, or cause damage, in the operating room itself. This is most especially true in ophthalmic surgery when the operating room is dark, or has a very low level of lighting so that the surgical assistant may be working with memory and feel more than with eyes.